White House: Florida Needs Health-care Reform

Since 2000, family health-care premiums in Florida have increased by 88 percent to an average of $12,780 a year -- about the same as income from a full-time minimum-wage job.

The White House released these and other figures today to help make the case for health-care reform, pointing to high costs for consumers in Florida and other states.

``Floridians know that inaction is not an option,?? the White House said in a statement accompanying the numbers. ``Sky-rocketing health-care costs are hurting families, forcing businesses to cut or drop health benefits and straining state budgets. Millions are paying more for less. Families and businesses in Florida deserve better.??

The White House rounded up Census data and other government reports to compile figures for each state.

These include the fact that about one in five Floridians lack health insurance.

An estimated 21 percent of middle-income Florida families spend more than 10 percent of their income on health care, the report says. And 15 percent of Floridians avoid going to the doctor because of high costs.

The state reports are designed to bring home the impact of costs and inefficiencies in the current system, part of the White House attempt to prod Congress into action.

The Obama administration has decided to let Congress take the lead on fashioning specific legislation, hoping for a consensus among Democrats and enough Republicans to get something passed. Obama?s people learned from the experience of former President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, who in 1994 labored for months to present a detailed proposal to Congress only to see it collapse in a heap of controversy.

The Obama White House is playing an active role by guiding the debate from behind the scenes and stirring public support for reform.

Here are the Florida numbers, according to the White House:

Roughly 9.8 million people in Florida get health insurance on the job1, where family premiums average $12,780, about the annual earning of a full-time minimum wage job.2

Since 2000 alone, average family premiums have increased by 88 percent in Florida.3

Household budgets are strained by high costs: 21 percent of middle-income Florida families spend more than 10 percent of their income on health care.4

High costs block access to care: 15 percent of people in Florida report not visiting a doctor due to high costs.5 Florida businesses and families shoulder a hidden health tax of roughly $1400 per year on premiums as a direct result of subsidizing the costs of the uninsured.6

AFFORDABLE HEALTH COVERAGE IS INCREASINGLY OUT OF REACH IN FLORDIA

21 percent of people in Florida are uninsured, and 73 percent of them are in families with at least one full-time worker.7

The percent of Floridians with employer coverage is declining: from 57 to 54 percent between 2000 and 2007.8

Much of the decline is among workers in small businesses. While small businesses make up 78 percent of Florida businesses,9 only 39 percent of them offered health coverage benefits in 2006 -- down 7 percent since 2000.10

Choice of health insurance is limited in Florida. Blue Cross Blue Shield FL alone constitutes 30 percent of the health insurance market share in Florida, with the top two insurance providers accounting for 45 percent.11

Choice is even more limited for people with pre-existing conditions. In Florida, premiums can vary based on demographic factors and health status, and coverage can exclude pre-existing conditions or even be denied completely in some cases.